STANDING PAT

Justin Brownlee will be leading the same players he was with the last time out. —MARLO CUETO

Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone tipped his cap to RJ Abarrientos and Troy Rosario after deciding to stick with his usual reliables in the national team’s 12-man roster for the Fiba Asia Cup, which starts next week in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Abarrientos and Rosario were Cone’s last cuts despite being part of Gilas’ buildup for the continental tournament since July 7. The two did not join the contingent when it left for Jeddah late Wednesday.

The Philippine squad arrived early Thursday and will begin final preparations for the Asia Cup set Aug. 5 to Aug. 17 once everyone settles in.

“We thank RJ and Troy for their incredible hard work,” Cone told the Inquirer from Jeddah. “They were absolutely crucial to our preparation and we hated leaving them behind.”

Cone opted to go with those he has relied upon since becoming the permanent Gilas coach, namely Justin Brownlee, June Mar Fajardo, Scottie Thompson, Dwight Ramos, Japeth Aguilar, Calvin Oftana, Chris Newsome, CJ Perez, Carl Tamayo, AJ Edu, Kevin Quiambao and Jamie Malonzo.

Malonzo’s stint will be quite interesting after a stunning move that saw him sign with Kyoto Hannaryz of Japan’s B.League, cutting short what was expected to be a long stint with Cone and the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings.

The Japanese club made the announcement on social media on Thursday, the same day Malonzo celebrated his 29th birthday. Malonzo signed a two-year deal with Ginebra in October 2023.

Oftana was still selected by Cone despite earlier being ruled as having a “50-50 chance” for the Asia Cup due to his ankle injury.

Kai Sotto had been ruled out from the Asia Cup several months ago because of an ACL injury that he incurred during last season’s B.League stint with the Koshigaya Alphas.

Both Abarrientos and Rosario, who also play for Cone at Barangay Ginebra, were added to an expanded pool for the Asia Cup, along with Rhenz Abando, who recently returned to South Korea with his old club Anyang, and Magnolia’s Zavier Lucero.

Eligibility status

But Abando did not join Gilas after helping Strong Group Athletics retain the William Jones Cup title in Taiwan while there’s still no clarity on Lucero’s Fiba eligibility status.

“We’re going with the originals [at the Asia Cup],” said Cone. “RJ and Troy will continue to be key pieces of the team as we move forward.”

Abarrientos is no stranger to helping out Gilas, having joined the Inspire Sports Academy camp in Laguna during preps for the final window of the Asia Cup Qualifiers in February along with Ginebra teammate Ralph Cu.

The Ginebra rookie played in Monday’s send-off game against the Macau Black Bears at Smart Araneta Coliseum, which was some indication of his possible inclusion to the final 12.

“I’m thankful and grateful to be part of the team,” Abarrientos said after the Black Bears exhibition. “Whether or not they need me to be in Jeddah, I’m always ready.”

Rosario seemed to have been an obvious cut after that same game, when he didn’t see action against Macau. Nonetheless, the veteran of numerous Gilas teams in Fiba tournaments expressed his support on social media.

“The goal is more important than the role,” Rosario said on his Instagram account. “Good luck, brothers!”